Soil-working implement



ug. 13, 1963 K. A. DUPPENGIESSER 3,100,665

SOIL-WORKING IMPLEMENT Filed March 9, 1960 v 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 n INVENTOR: Korl August Duppengiesser 8 BY m 4A FIG. 1A

AGENT.

K. A. DUPPENGIESSER 3,100,665

SOIL-WORKING IMPLEMENT Aug. 13, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 9, 1960 --8A QuStD'L'Ippen iesser INVENTOR.

M fix AGENT- 1963 K. AQDUPPENGIESSER 3,100,665

SOIL-WORKING IMPLEMENT Filed March 9, 1960 s Sheets-Sheet s FIG.||A

FIG .ll

Karl August D'Lippengiesser INVENTOR.

AGENT.

United States Patent F 3,100,665 SOIL-WORKENG IMPLEMENT Karl August Diippcngiesser, Unter der Chariottenbnrg 1, Gera-Langenherg, Thuringia, Germany Filed Mar. 9, 1960, Ser. No. 13,943 11 Claims. (Cl. 294-67) My present invention relates to soil-working implements such as shovels, spades, rakes, hoes, hay forks and the like in which a metallic socket, fastened to the operative part of the implement, is adapted to receive a wooden handle.

The use of friction to retain the handle in its socket is satisfactory only for the plaiuest implements of this type, designed for the purpose of amateur gardeners and other occasional users. For other uses, and particularly for heavy-duty work, it is necessary to resort to supplemental fasteners such as bolts, screws or rivets to prevent complete detachment of the handle (from the blade after prolonged utilization of the tool. Even the presence of such fasteners, however, does not avoid a certain loosening of the handle in its socket in the course of time, due to a weakening of the fit through operational stresses and/ or a shrinking of the wood as it dries upon aging.

The resetting of a handle so loosened is cumbersome since it generally requires the drilling of new holes .in the handle and/ or the socket to accommodate the fastening means in the new relative position of the parts. It is, therefore, a major object of my present invention to provide an improved assembly of socket, handle and fastener adapted to avoid this inconvenience.

I have found, in accordance with this invention, that the resetting of worn or dried-out tool handles in an implement of the aforedescribed character is most conveniently accomplished by the provision of a longitudin- 3,109,665 Patented Aug. 13, 1963 tailed description of certain embodiments, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 \is a top-plan view of a blade for a spade, shovel or similar implement according to the invention;

FIG. 1A is a rear-elevational view of the blade;

FIG. 1B is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 1B--1B of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view taken along line 1C-1C of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2 is a side-elevational view, partly in section, of

. a socket member adapted to be secured to the blade;

FIG. 3 is a View, similar to FIG. 2 and taken in section along the line IIIIII of FIG. 4, showing the socket member provided with a handle;

FIG. 4 is a bottom-plan view of the socket member, illustrating in greater detail the fastening means joining the latter to the handle;

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4A- 4A of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 is a view, similar to FIG. 1, of another blade according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is a side-elevational view, partly in section, illustrating a link for joining the blade of FIG. 5 to a socket member;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

ally extending slot in its socket, such slot being provided i with two or more longitudinally spaced pairs of recesses adapted to receive a retaining piece which is radially displaceable on the handle and which is carried on a stud or bolt engaging the latter, such as the head of a screw or a block or washer held by a screw, whereby a loosening of the fastener holding the retaining piece will enable a lengthwise shifting of the handle which can then be secured in a new position by a re-tightening of the fastener to lodge the retaining piece in a different recess of the slot. More particularly, I propose to make the socket from a fiat piece of sheet metal which, when rolled into a sleeve to form the tubular socket member, has a seam constituted by a pair of adjacent edges; these edges I provide with preferably symmetrical indentations which, when brought together along the seams, constitute the aforementioned slot. 7

Since the formation of a socket from a tlat sheetmetal blank is, therefore, one of the features of my present invention, it is also an object thereof to provide means for conveniently and securely attaching a socket so formed to the operative part of an implement, in particular to the blade of a shovel or spade. In accordance with the latter aspect of the invention 1 form slots in the blade adapted to receive complementary projections of the socket, and/ or of a special attachment forming a link between the socket and the blade (e.g. as generally disclosed in my co-pending applications Ser. Nos. 733,924 and 633,901- respectively filed May 8, 1958 and January 14, 1957), now Patent Nos. 3,009,726 and 2,956,831, the assembly being completed by a Welding of the link member and/ or the socket to the blade after the latter has been interlockingly connected therewith.

The above and other objects, features and advantages will become more fully apparent from the following de FIG, 8 is an axial cross-sectional view showing a socket member joined to the blade of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional vie-w taken along line 8A- 8A of FIG. 8;

FIG. 9 is a bottonnplan view of a socket member according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a plan View of a blank for the socket member illustrated in FIG. 9*; 7

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a spade according to still another embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 11A is a detail view, somewhat enlarged, of a portion of the socket member shown in FIG. 11.

In FIGS. 1, 1A, 1B and 1C I show a blade It adapted to be joined to a socket member and a handle to produce a heavy-duty soil-working implement of exceptional rigidity. The blade 10, preferably formed by stamping or forging from.- sheet steel, is provided with a lip 11 along its edge remote from its sharpened, ground-engaging working edge; Lip 11, bent at an angle of substantially 90 to the plane of the blade, is provided with a projection 15' and 16 communicating with the slots 13-, 13' and 14,

respectively, to facilitate the subsequent welding of these slots. A link member 17, of generally triangular configuration, is provided with a rear tongue 17 which is received in slot 12', a lower tongue 21 which is received in a slot 20 provided therefor in blade 10 (FIG. 1C), and an upper tongue 18.

In FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 4A I show a socket member 31 inside which the lower portion 41 of a wooden handle 40 is secured by a screw 42 having an enlarged head. The socket member 30 is for-med with an upper slot 31, ddmensioned to receive the tongue 18 of link member 17, and a pair of transversely spaced notches 34- adapted to engage the lip 11 on either side of link member 17. Socket member 30 is also provided with a pair of side lugs 33 and an end lug 32, respectively receivable in slots 13, i3 and 14. Lugs 32 and 33 may then be welded to'the blade 10 within socket 35) through the enlarged portions 15, 15-, 16 of the slots. Advantageously, the material displaced in forming slots 13, 13' and 14 may, as shown at 26 in FIG. 1B, merely be bent outwardly to provide additional welding surfaces at the slots. For maximum rigidity, the

3 link member 17 maybe Welded to the blade ill at 19 (FIG. 1) before the assembly of the implement, and to the socket member at 35 to join the tongue 18 to the latter at slot 31, therein.

It will be apparent that the socket member 30 is in the form of a tube whose front end has been beveled, at an acute angle to its axis, to provide a bearing surface which rests on the blade 10 and from which the lugs 32,, 33 projeot to engage the blade,

As best seen in FIGS. 3, 4 and 4A, the socket member 30, preferably rolled from a blank of the type illustrated in FIG. 10, is provided along its abutting edges with indentations adapted to form a longitudinal slot 36 which axially extends along the member 3d when the latter is given its generally cylindrical configuration. The slot 36 is formed with recesses -37 adapted to'receive the enlarged head 4-3 of screw 42 in a plurality of positions along this slot which is dimensioned to pass the shank of the screw but not its head; to this end the recesses 37 are shallower than the slot 36, 'as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4.

In operation, the socket member 30' is fastened to the handle 40 by screw 42 whose head is countersunk in the recess 37 which is farthest from the blade-engaging portion of the socket member. When the seam 44 of socket member 30 is completely welded with the exception of slot 36, the handle 40 may be seated more tightly in the socket member, erg. upon the shrinking of the wood, by removing the screw 42 from engagement with its recess, driving the handle further into the socket member, and resetting the screw 42 in engagement with another recess 37 further along the groove 36 toward the blade whereby the end 41 of the handle becomes more tightly wedged against the curved intermediate socket portion 30a adjoining the straight rear portion 3012. Should the seam 4-4 be closed only partly by welding (as shown at 38), socket member 30 will have sufiicient resilience to permit the spreading of slot 36 and the re-engagement of the screw 42 further along toward the blade when the handle is thrust downwardly into the socket member to compensate for shrink age or wear.

In FIGS. -8 and 8A I show a modified blade '50, provided with a socket-forming trough 51 and cutouts or slots 53, 53' and 54 adapted to receive the lugs 63, 63 and 64 of a bipartite substantially saddle-shaped link member 60 whose two halves 61, 61 are integral, respectively, with upper tongues 62, 62'. The link member 60 is shaped to form a generally conical funnel adapted to receive the end of a handle member 52, FIG. 8, incooperation with the trough 51. The convergence of tunnel 51, 60 has the same clamping effect as the bent shape of tube 30 in the preceding embodiment. A socket member 55, adapted to accommodate the handle member 52, is formed with an upper slot 56 dimensioned to suit the upper tongues 62, 62 which maybe welded to the socket member at 57. The socket member 55 encloses the link member 60 (FIGS. 8 and 8A), which may be welded to the blade 50 through the slots 53, 53 and 54, while the socket member 55, may, in turn, be welded to the blade about its periphery 58 in contact therewith and along the seam 51 formed with trough 51. The generally cylindrical socket member is provided with teeth 59 adapted to engage a fastening member joining the socket to a handle, such fastening member being illustrated at 78 in FIG. 9.

In the latter figure, I show a socket member 70, similar to socket member '30, formed with notches 74 and lugs 72, 73. Socket member 70, however, is provided with a generally rectangular opening 76 in the seam 77, the major sides of the rectangle being studded with teeth 75 adapted to engage a toothed plate 7 8 in a plurality of axial positions along opening 76. The plate 78 is provided with a hoie 79, adapted to receive a screw or other fastener engaging the handle 40, whereby the handle may be secured in the socket member 70 at a plurality of axial positions adapted to compensate for wear or shrinkage of the handle. Preferably, the socket member 79 is rolled 4 from a blank 76', illustrated in FIG. 10. The blank 70 is shown to be provided with teeth at indentations 76 along the edges 77 of the blank which, upon rolling, form the seam 77 and which may be completely or partially welded as described with reference to FIG. 3. The slightly trapezoidal shape of blank 70" causes tube 74 to converge somewhat toward the front, with progressive wedging of the handle upon its forward displacement.

FIGS. 11 and 11A illustrate a spade according to the invention wherein the socket member 99 is provided with a handle 91, secured thereto by a bolt 93 whose head is not shown in these figures. The handle fits snugly into the socket member 90, whichv may be slightly tapered to lodge the handle more firmly therein. The socket member is formed with a groove 94, studded with downwardly-directed sawteeth 95 which are successively engaged by the resiliently interconnected wings of a retaining plate 96; the body of this plate is secured by the bolt 93 to handle 91 to prevent the withdrawal of the latter from the socket member. It will be apparent that the handle may be tightened in the socket merely by driving it more firmly into the latter as by banging the spade against the ground, whereupon plate 96 engages other teeth 95 located closer to the blade to hold the handle in its adjusted position. It should be noted that the teeth of opening 76 in FIGS. 9 and 10 could be sawtooth-shaped as illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 111A, in which case the retaining plate 78 may be replaced by a fastening member which may be similar to plate 96, but preferably non-resilient since there would be sufficient resilience in the spreading of the seam to permit the plate to travel downwardly from its initial position upon a tightening of the handle.

The invention as described and illustrated permits of many modifications and substitutions within the ability of persons skilled in the art and deemed to be included within the spirit and scope of the invention, except as further limited by the appended claims:

I claim:

1. A soil-working implement comprising a blade, a socket rigid with said blade, a handle received in said socket, and a retaining member secured to said handle, said socket being provided with a slot extending in longitudinal direction of the handle, said slot being formed along its major sides with pairs of aligned recesses engaged by said retaining member in a plurality of axially shifted relative positions of said handle and said socket, the sides of said slot and said retaining member being relatively yieldable in a resilient manner and to a sufficent extent to permit axial displacement of said retaining member along said slot in response to impact.

2. An implement according to claim 1 wherein said recesses are serrated.

3. An implement according to claim 2 wherein said recesses are sawtooth-shaped and point toward said blade.

4. A soil-working implement comprising a blade, a socket rigid with said blade and extending rearwardly therefrom, a handle received in said socket, and fastening means secured to said handle, said socket being pro vided with a generally rectangular slot extending in longitudinal direction of the handle and with a plurality of pairs of aligned recesses extending externally on said socket along the longitudinal sides of said slot while being shallower than the outer surface of said socket, said fastening means including a stud traversing said slot and a retaining member of larger dimensions overlying said slot from without, said retaining member being'held by said stud and being selectively receivable in any of said pairs of recesses in a plurality of axially shifted relative positions of said handle and said socket, said slot being formed in a resiliently yieldable part of said socket for temporary transverse separation of said recesses to a sufiicient extent to permit axial displacement of said retaining member along said slot in response to impact.

5. An implement according to claim 4 wherein said recesses are arcuate.

6. An implement according :to claim 4 wherein said socket comprises a substantially cylindrically curved piece of sheet metal having a seam formed between adjoining sheet edges, said edges being recessed to form said slot.

7. An implement according to claim -6 wherein said seam is formed by edges that are interconnected at two locations each beyond a respective end of said slot whereby the sides of said slot are resiliently spreadable.

8. A soilavorking implement comprising a socket member in the form of a tube with a seam formed by two adjoining edges of said piece, said tube having a rear portion with a slot formed by registering indentations along said edges and extending along part of said seam, said edges being recessed at spaced locations along said indentations and forming a plurality of enlargements of said slot, a handle received in said tube, fastening means for adjustably securing said handle to said tube in a selected axial position, said fastening means including a retaining member on said handle receivable in any of said enlargements and passing through said slot by way of one of said enlargements, said tube having a front end remote from said hand-1e beveled at an acute angle to its axis, said tube further having a deformation ahead of said front end for progressively wedging said handle upon relative forward movement of the latter, and a blade welded thereto, the sides of said slot and said retaining member being relatively yieldable in a resilient manner and to a sufiicient extent to permit axial displacement of said retaining member along said slot in response to impact.

9. An implement according to claim 8 wherein said tube is welded along parts of said seam remote from said slot, said seam being spreadable at said slot.

10. An implement according to claim 8, further comprising a link member embraced by said front end and anchored to both said tube and said blade, said link member being substantially saddle-shaped and provided with a central upper ridge penetrating an adjacent upper wall portion of said tube and bearing with its flanks from above upon said blade, said flanks at least partly embracing the forward end of said handle, said projecting formation being an integral part of said link member.

11. An implement according to claim 10 wherein said blade is formed with a trough registering with said saddleshaped member and complementing same a generally conical funnel for said handle substantially in line with the body [of said tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 542,955 Feely July 16, 1895 911,149 Moore Feb. 2, 1909 1,318,611 Shaffer Oct. 14, 1919 1,326,363 Michelin Dec. 30, 1919 1,374,336 Surbaugh Apr. 12, 1921 1,469,215 Ervin Oct. 2, 1923 2,063,774 Washington Dec. 8, 1936 2,130,563 Ready Sept. 20, 1938 2,143,725 Wharton Jan. 10, 1939 2,173,947 Miller Sept. 26, 1939 2,399,300 Harte May 7, 1946 2,399,801 Harte May 7, 1946 2,750,223 Runlrle June 12, 1956 2,937,046 Olvey May 17, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 665,678 Great Britain Jan. 30, 1952 

1. A SOIL-WORKING IMPLEMENT COMPRISING A BLADE, A SOCKET RIGID WITH SAID BLADE, A HANDLE RECEIVED IN SAID SOCKET, AND A RETAINING MEMBER SECURED TO SAID HANDLE, SAID SOCKET BEING PROVIDED WITH A SLOT EXTENDING IN LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF THE HANDLE, SAID SLOT BEING FORMED ALONG ITS MAJOR SIDES WITH PAIRS OF ALIGNED RECESSES ENGAGED BY SAID RETAINING MEMBER IN A PLURALITY OF AXIALLY SHIFTED RELATIVE POSITIONS OF SAID HANDLE AND SAID SOCKET, THE SIDES OF SAID SLOT AND SAID RETAINING MEMBER BEING RELATIVELY YIELDABLE IN A RESILIENT MANNER AND TO A SUFFICIENT 